A Day in the Life of a Troll

Ever meet one of those people who manages in time to suck the life out of everyone they associate with? I have the unfortunate privilege of having to be around one of these people far more often than I would like. There are those of you who already know who it is... I shall not name names out of tact, not to protect the identity of this person. This is a person who claims to be a Christian who communicates directly with God Himself, and then proceeds to lie, cheat, steal, and manipulate in every opportunity where it is to his benefit. A Christian who gives Christians a bad name.

I didn't start this post to vent (well maybe a little), but to examine the corrosive effects one's own bad actions have upon themselves, as well as others.

Many people who are lacking in integrity and ethical values and conduct see a reflection of their bad character in others. It is beyond their belief that others are not like them; in their minds everyone is as challenged as them. This belief only reinforces their internal justifications for being the way they are and feeds the behavior.

They then act out according to this skewed view of others and push away anyone who would possibly want to be close to them or help them. They cause others to feel backed into a corner and to have to defend themselves. This creates a vicious cycle; one set of bad acts setting off another until there is some sort of conflict or abandonment.

The saddest thing about this is not the damage this person causes to others, but the damage this person has done to themselves. They have created for themselves a world full of fear, distrust, and negativity that they live in daily. They are incapable of seeing the good, the love, the understanding, or the compassion that exists in the people around them. Everyone is an enemy in their eyes. To imagine what this is like, pretend you have been dumped behind enemy lines and can't get out. How paranoid would you get? How oppressive and dark would the world be to you? Now do you see why I say this is so sad?

If you are living in such a dark world, how can happiness and warmth stand a chance of entering it? How can you see the small joys in life if you are always looking out for the knife in your back? Why would you give up the wonderful things in life for the thrill of small, petty victories?

While I have come to despise this person I know, I have come to the point of truly pitying him, because he is far more miserable than I could ever make him. Everything bad that is happening in his life, he has brought upon himself, with far more precision and effectiveness than I have the stomach to create. Brings new meaning to the phrase, "Karma is a bitch!"